Very few people venture to the lagoon in the far north of the Grande Terre, in the Poum region. This is an ideal area for all those who love fishing around the reef, as well as in the open sea. There is an almost 100% guarantee of catching something!

Discover the Bush Life

Want to enjoy a rural getaway and fine country produce without worrying about which establishment you’re headed to? The Bienvenue a la Ferme (Welcome to the Farm) network is made for you. Nearly fifty landowners in Caledonia have joined the movement.

Nouméa, the capital city of New Caledonia is on the ocean. Several bays extend along the city, providing magnificent beaches and points of view. Besides its natural features, Nouméa also has very attractive cultural offerings for tourists who choose to visit there.

From Ouvéa to the Isle of Pines, passing through Lifou, Tiga and Maré, the five islands bordering the Mainland, Grande Terre to the East are yet more gems to discover. From the blue hole of Hanawa at Ouvéa to the Warrior’s Leap at Wakone on Maré, via the Jokin Cliffs at Lifou or the Oro Bay on the Isle of Pines, let yourself be amazed!

The West Coast of the mainland (Grande Terre) shows off a great variety of scenery from its northern tip down to the area surrounding Nouméa. Characterised by both large spaces favouring cattle farming and a lagoon of stunning beauty, the West Coast is also host to a rich cultural heritage.

The central mountain range of the Mainland (Grande Terre) is a natural boundary, overlooking the very different faces of the East and West Coasts. Exposed to strong winds and therefore more humid, the eastern coast offers scenery with sumptuous flora. With a population of largely Melanesian origin, the East Coast has also retained a particularly charming flavour of authenticity.

The Great South, comprising the Mont-Dore and Yaté municipalities, is the most symbolic region for New Caledonia’s three main colours: blue, green and red. From the rainforest to the mining lands there are a thousand shades of green, while the ocean offers a dazzling palette of blues. But if one colour dominates the Great South, it is the specific red of its ground.

The penitential pastof the Isle of Pines

It is difficult to imagine that the Isle of Pines, one of the gems of Caledonian tourism and often touted as the closest island to paradise (just like Ouvéa…), could have been renowned in the 19th century as a penal colony! However, vestiges continue to attest to this period.

It was in 1872 that France decided to establish a penal colony in the south-western part of the island. In fact, New Caledonia acquired the status of penal colony starting in 1864, when the first ‘convicts’ arrived at Port-de-France (today's Nouméa), aboard the Iphigénie.

Vestiges of the penal colony

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21,000 convicts from 1864 to 1897

More than 21,000 people would join these 250 first detainees by 1897, coming in 75 convoys, who would be registered in the various penitential centres on the archipelago. To understand the historical importance of this period, we can tell you that in 1877, two thirds of the inhabitants of New Caledonia of European origin were convicts (around 11,000 out of 17,000). Among these ‘convicts’ we must distinguish between the ‘transportees’, essentially common-law convicts, by far the most numerous, the ‘deportees’ who were political prisoners (Communards, Kabylians) and the ‘relegated’ or recidivists.

Communard and Kabylian deportees

While, among the thousands of convicts moved to ‘the New’ (as the Caledonian penal colonies were generically known), many were transported through the Isle of Pines. The island's local history has mainly held onto the destiny of the Communard deportees. These people were convicted following a revolutionary period of history known as the ‘Commune of Paris’, in 1871. Among the most famous of these was Louise Michel, even if she never stayed on the Isle of Pines. A large number of these political prisoners were nevertheless transferred through the island. The island finally received convicted Algerian insurgents after the Kabylian revolt of 1871.

Vestiges of the past

Very little still remains of this distant past. In Ouro, one of the five communes on the island to have received these deportees, a few ruins overrun with plants are still visible, as well as the water tower, built in 1874/1875 and still in operation. Lastly, the deportees’ cemetery, still maintained, is a place of memory that is worthwhile visiting. Here, 230 anonymous graves (except two) remind us that many convicts died in this place.